Thursday, April 20, 2006

Iraq War Costs Double Those of Vietnam

The United States government is spending twice as much on military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as it did to fight the Vietnam War. The Army Chief of Staff defended these costs during a recent Armed Services Committee hearing, claiming the military did not predict heavy equipment repair and rebuilding costs, the need for heavily armored vehicles, or the extent of battle losses.

WAR COST COMPARISON

Iraq & Afghanistan = $10 billion/month

Vietnam = $5 billion/month

The Senate will address these costs next week as it takes up the largest emergency spending bill in history. The bill would give the military $72.4 billion for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, just six months after Congress approved $50 billion for military operations in that region.